Noticeboard

We are now taking bookings for our flu clinic which is being held on Saturday 23rd September.

We are also holding a shingles/flu clinic for those of you who are eligible for both vaccines on 23rd September.

Please contact reception on 01271 329004 to check whether you are eligible and to make an appointment.

NATIONAL PATIENT SURVEY - RESULTS

Thank you to our patients who completed the national patient survey for Brannam Medical Centre. We have now received the results and would like to share these with you. Please click here to view the results.

MJOG

We use a messaging system called MJOG which allows us to contact our patients by text and voice message. We have been using this to invite our patients in for their seasonal flu vaccinations, chronic disease recalls and also for appointment reminders.

We would like to make our patients aware that if you receive a voice message starting 'This is a message from Brannam Medical Centre' it is a genuine message from us and please listen to the message all the way through and you will be able to respond.

If you do not wish to receive messages in this way, please contact the reception team.

National Diabetes Audit (NDA): Helping to improve diabetes care

Brannam Medical Centre is taking part in an important national project about diabetes care and treatment in the NHS. Please click here for more information.

Our reception staff will be happy to advise you about appointment availability and applicable charges.

Our Minor Illness Clinic runs daily from 9.30am-10.30am and is run by a GP, Nurse prescriber or pharmacist, with the Duty Doctor providing backup and is designed to provide a quicker response for patients for the following:

If you are unsure whether you should be seen in this clinic, please ask a receptionist who can help and advise you.

Blood Testing

Blood test clinics are run every morning by our Healthcare Assistants, who also help with minor operations and ECGs (heart recordings). When a doctor, practice Sister or the North Devon District Hospital requests a blood test, a form is produced to tell the Health Care Assistant which samples are required.

We have blood clinics from 07.30-17.00 most days and also offer anti-coagulant appointments throughout the day. Appointments for these need to be booked through Sister’s receptionist on 01271 314236, the main surgery line on 01271 329004 or you can book online for your blood tests using the Appointments Online system.

If you take warfarin you will need to have regular blood tests to ensure that you are receiving the correct dose. We offer regular clinics where we can calculate the new dose of warfarin immediately after your blood test.

Please remember to check in for your blood test on arrival at the surgery, as you would for any other appointment.

What are blood tests for?

A blood test is when a sample of blood is taken for testing in a laboratory. Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test. For example, a blood test can be used to:

assess your general state of health

confirm the presence of a bacterial or viral infection

see how well certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are functioning

A blood test usually involves the phlebotomist taking a blood sample from a blood vessel in your arm. and the usual place for a sample is the inside of the elbow or wrist, where the veins are relatively close to the surface. Blood samples from children are most commonly taken from the back of the hand. The child's hand will be anaesthetised (numbed) with a special cream before the sample is taken.

Well Woman Clinic

We have four nurses who are trained in the taking of cervical smears and three trained in family planning.

Desri Dyer and Sandy Norman hold the Marie Curie breast and cervical cytology certificate, ENB 321 fertility and fertility control, ENB232 family planning in practice. All four nurses attend cytology update courses every three years.

The clinic is supported by Dr Suzanne Smit, Dr Louise Bond and Dr Jacqueline Tolhurst who have a specialist interest in Woman's Health.

The clinic nurses are able to give confidential advice on a range of Woman's health issues such as methods of family planning, hormone replacement therapy, breast examination and cervical cytology.

Patients may book for cervical screening, repeat prescriptions for the oral contraceptive pill or HRT (alternating with the patient's GP) intra - uterine contraceptive device checking, changing of ring pessaries, emergency contraception, testing for infections (STI's) or general advice.

A service for fitting inter uterine contraceptive devices, hormonal implants and fitting of ring pessaries is provided.

Opening Times

The Well Woman Clinic opening times are as follows:

Nurse:

Monday

08:30 - 12:30

Wednesday

08:30 - 12:30

Thursday

08:30 - 10:45

Friday

16:00 - 16:45

Doctor:

Monday

08:30 - 12:15

Wednesday

13:30 - 15:00

Smoking Cessation Clinic

Our Health Care Assistants run the Smoking Cessation Clinic. Please note this service is by appointment only.

You'll have regular reviews and support to help you reach your quit date goal.

Stop Smoking Widget This tool gives you daily messages, and keeps track of how much you're saving and how many days it's been since your last cigarette. Great motivators for staying smokefree.

Stoptober

Stoptober is an annual public health campaign which runs through the month of October. Stop smoking for 28 days and you're 5 times more likely to stop for good. Join the thousands quitting with Stoptober.

If you require any vaccinations before travelling overseas, you need to make an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss your travel arrangements. This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.

It is important to contact Sister's Receptionist on 01271 314236 as soon as possible - or at least 6 weeks before you travel, this is to ensure that you receive the correct vaccines prior to travel. Some vaccines and Malaria prescriptions may incur a charge. Our Travel Clinic is open every Thursday afternoon by appointment only, between 14:00 and 17:30.

There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below

'fitfortravel' is a public access website provided by the NHS (Scotland). It gives travel health information for people travelling abroad from the UK. Remember that you should always discuss your particular needs with your own doctor or nurse.